Some governments have long struggled to recruit top tech talent and young workers. Divisions between the private and public sectors extend beyond the United States. In the UK, public sector wages have fallen to their lowest level in 19 years, making competition with private industries more difficult. But in China, some young workers are willing to leave a volatile tech industry for greater security. The Finnish government was so keen to see tech workers join the country’s industry that in 2021 it granted foreigners 90-day visas to try out life in Helsinki.
As uncertainty grows over falling values of tech stocks, more young people may also be considering the move. US Digital Response co-hosted a career fair in December, planned in response to recent layoffs. Ten state and local governments from across the United States came to make their case to potential workers. The state of California is looking to hire nearly 2,500 technicians, according to Matthias Jaime, the state’s deputy secretary of technology and innovation. San Francisco advertises government positions that require only one day of work per week. But in addition to convenience, regular schedules, and pensions, those who recruit more government and nonprofit workers display a fuzzy, warm feeling that comes from making a positive impact. “I think it’s an extremely compelling mission,” Kurt DelBene, the VA’s chief information officer, says of his work in the department. “You’re basically giving people who have made their commitment to all of us the greatest commitment they can make, by being in the armed forces. And they deserve our support.
Tech Jobs for Good, a job site focused on mission-driven employers, saw a 40% increase in job seeker profiles in May, said its founder, Noah Hart. This is around the time tech layoffs began at Carvana, Klarna, and Robinhood. In October, as other tech companies began cutting staff, profile signups jumped another 30 percent, Hart says. “More and more job seekers are looking for impactful positions,” says Hart. “Many organizations are still recruiting and receiving many more applications. »
Nonprofits and governments are trying to become more competitive. The average job posted on Tech Jobs for Good pays between $118,000 and $134,000, according to Hart. For comparison, software engineers at Google earn between $98,000 and $330,000, and data scientists earn between $113,000 and $200,000. The VA is working to reduce the existing wage gap between its functions and the private sector by 60 percent. And for some employees, making an impact and working remotely can mean more than the perks of Silicon Valley and plummeting company stock prices.
